Description

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE
We survived the zombie apocalypse, but how many of us are still haunted by that terrible time? We have (temporarily?) defeated the living dead, but at what cost? Told in the haunting and riveting voices of the men and women who witnessed the horror firsthand, "World War Z," now a #1 "New York Times" bestseller, is the only record of the plague years.show more

Review quote

#1 "NEW YORK TIMES" BESTSELLER
"USA TODAY "BESTSELLER
"WALL STREET JOURNAL "BESTSELLER
An oral history of the global war the evil brain-chewers came within a hair of winning. Zombies are among us turn on your television if you don t believe it. But, Brooks reassures us, even today, human fighters are hunting down the leftovers, and we re winning. [His] iron-jaw narrative is studded with practical advice on what to do when the zombies come, as they surely will. A literate, ironic, strangely tasty treat.
"Kirkus Reviews" (starred review)
Max Brooks has charted the folly of a disaster response based solely on advanced technologies and brute force in this step-by-step guide to what happened in the Zombie War. He details with extraordinary insight how in the face of institutional missteps and greed, people in unexpected ways achieve unique, creative, and effective strategies to survive and fight back. Brooks s account of the path to recovery and reconstruction after the war is fascinating, too. "World War Z "provides us with a starting point, at least, a basic blueprint from which to build a popular understanding of how, when, and why such a disaster came to be, and how small groups and individuals survived.
Jeb Weisman, Ph.D., Director of Strategic Technologies, National Center for Disaster Preparedness
Possesses more creativity and zip than entire crates of other new fiction titles. Think "Mad Max" meets "The Hot Zone" . . . It s "Apocalypse Now," pandemic-style. Creepy but fascinating.
" USA TODAY
" Prepare to be entranced by this addictively readable oral history of the great war between humans and zombies. . . . Will grab you as tightly as a dead man s fist. A.
" Entertainment Weekly, "EW Pick
Probably the most topical and literate scare since Orson Welles' "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast. . . . This is action-packed social-political satire with a global view.
" Dallas Morning News"
Brooks [is] America s most prominent maven on the living dead. . . . Chilling. . . . It is gripping reading and a scathing indictment of weak responses to crises real and over-hyped.
" Hartford Courant
" A sober, frequently horrifying and even moving account. . . . Brooks has delivered a full-blown horror novel, laced with sharp social and political observations and loads of macabre, gruesome imagery. . . . The real horror of "World War Z "comes from the all-too-plausible responses of human beings and governments to the menace.
" Fangoria"
"
" A horror fan s version of Studs Terkel s "The Good War." . . . Like George Romero s "Dead" trilogy, "World War Z" is another milestone in the zombie mythology.
" Booklist"
"
" Brooks commits to detail in a way that makes his nightmare world creepily plausible. . . . Far more affecting than anything involving zombies really has any right to be. . . . The book . . . opens in blood and guts, turns the world into an oversized version of hell, then ends with and affirmation of humanity s ability to survive the worst the world has to offer. It feels like the right book for the right times, and that s the eeriest detail of all.
A.V. Club, "The Onion"
"
" The best science fiction has traditionally been steeped in social commentary. "World War Z "continues that legacy. . . . We haven t been this excited about a book without pictures since well, since ever.
" Metro"
"
" Each story locks together perfectly to create a wonderful, giddy suspense. Brooks also has the political savvy to take advantage of any paranoia a modern reader might feel. . . . The perfect book for all us zombie junkies.
" Paste"
This infectious and compelling book will have nervous readers watching the streets for zombies. Recommended.
" Library Journal"
"show more

About Max Brooks

"The Stud Terkel of zombie journalism,"MAX BROOKS is also the author of the New York Times bestsellers "The Zombie Survival Guide "and" The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks. "formed the core of the world s civilian survival manuals during the Zombie War."show more

Review Text

No. 1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
USA TODAY BESTSELLER
WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER
"An 'oral history' of the global war the evil brain-chewers came within a hair of winning. Zombies are among us - turn on your television if you don't believe it. But, Brooks reassures us, even today, human fighters are hunting down the leftovers, and we're winning. [His] iron-jaw narrative is studded with practical advice on what to do when the zombies come, as they surely will. A literate, ironic, strangely tasty treat."
- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Max Brooks has charted the folly of a disaster response based solely on advanced technologies and brute force in this step-by-step guide to what happened in the Zombie War. He details with extraordinary insight how in the face of institutional missteps and greed, people in unexpected ways achieve unique, creative, and effective strategies to survive and fight back. Brooks's account of the path to recovery and reconstruction after the war is fascinating, too. World War Z provides us with a starting point, at least, a basic blueprint from which to build a popular understanding of how, when, and why such a disaster came to be, and how small groups and individuals survived."
- Jeb Weisman, Ph.D.,Director of Strategic Technologies, National Center for Disaster Preparedness
"Possesses more creativity and zip than entire crates of other new fiction titles. Think Mad Max meets The Hot Zone . . . It's Apocalypse Now , pandemic-style. Creepy but fascinating."
- USA TODAY
"Prepare to be entranced by this addictively readable oral history of the great war between humans and zombies. . . . Will grab you as tightly as a dead man's fist. A."
- Entertainment Weekly, EW Pick
"Probably the most topical and literate scare since Orson Welles' War of the Worlds radio broadcast. . . . This is action-packed social-political satire with a global view."
- Dallas Morning News
"Brooks [is] America's most prominent maven on the living dead. . . . Chilling. . . . It is gripping reading and a scathing indictment of weak responses to crises real and over-hyped."
- Hartford Courant
"A sober, frequently horrifying and even moving account. . . . Brooks has delivered a full-blown horror novel, laced with sharp social and political observations and loads of macabre, gruesome imagery. . . . The real horror of World War Z comes from the all-too-plausible responses of human beings and governments to the menace."
- Fangoria
"A horror fan's version of Studs Terkel's The Good War . . . . Like George Romero's Dead trilogy, World War Z is another milestone in the zombie mythology."
- Booklist
"Brooks commits to detail in a way that makes his nightmare world creepily plausible. . . . Far more affecting than anything involving zombies really has any right to be. . . . The book . . . opens in blood and guts, turns the world into an oversized version of hell, then ends with and affirmation of humanity's ability to survive the worst the world has to offer. It feels like the right book for the right times, and that's the eeriest detail of all."
- A.V. Club, The Onion
"The best science fiction has traditionally been steeped in social commentary. World War Z continues that legacy. . . . We haven't been this excited about a book without pictures since–well, since ever."
- Metro
"Each story locks together perfectly to create a wonderful, giddy suspense. Brooks also has the political savvy to take advantage of any paranoia a modern reader might feel. . . . The perfect book for all us zombie junkies."
- Paste
"This infectious and compelling book will have nervous readers watching the streets for zombies. Recommended."
- Library Journalshow more

Customer reviews

Zombies have been around in the pop culture for decades now, and you might think that the genre's become watered down, unoriginal, or stupid. This book proves you wrong.
While it is written from the perspective of a UN reporter, this is merely the framing device for various short stories from various people about various events that took place during the ten-year war against the legions of mindless, flesh-eating zombies. This concept is an interesting idea, as it allows the reader to get a global sense of what this near-apocalypse did to the world.
This isn't a book you should be reading to little kids- there is some serious, hardcore nightmare fuel to be found in this book (I still get the shivers when I think about the events that went down in Japan).
Otherwise, this book is great for almost anyone, be they zombiologist, action-hound or even just someone with some time to spare for reading.show more

by Michael Burnard

This is a great read that is about so much more than Zombies. Zombies are mearly the landscape that Max Brooks uses to explore the human spirit.
I can't reccomend this book highly enough.show more

by James Pockley

Done as a series of interviews of 'survivors of the zombie war', this book tells how humanity withered, weathered and adjusted to a global zombie outbreak.
Terrificly moody and evocative, and covering so many aspects of life, this really is a must read for anyone who's ever read, seen, or heard of anything about zombies - for lovers of horror in general, and even for those whoe like war stories.
A great, great fun, atmospheric read - couldn't recommend highly enough!show more